The association has expressed its "grave concern" over the numerous irregularities identified in the judgment of Case 13/13 and in the trial phase. He recalled that the lawyers remained incommunicado for five days, that the Civil Guard inspected their offices irregularly, or that the CNI made them listen to what happened. The persons charged in summary 13/13 in the opinion of the association are charged for representing their clients, “as in Turkey”.

Proven torture

The Bar Association has pointed out that one of the allegations of torture made by defendants in the trial is officially proven: The torture of Naia Zuriarrain is included in the report approved by the Basque Government in 2017. He also stressed that the examining magistrate in Case 13/13 was Grande Marlaska, currently the Spanish Minister for the Interior, and that the Strasbourg court has on several occasions criticised his action for not properly investigating allegations of torture.

Revolutionizing the principles of Havana

According to the Havana Principles of Law, it is the responsibility of governments to ensure that “lawyers are able to exercise all their professional functions without fear, impediments, persecutions or inappropriate interference”. The ELDH has ensured that the Spanish Government has acted against the principles, because it is the one that is threatening the safety of lawyers. In the same trial, the association has also denounced that the right of the defendants to a fair trial and not to be tried twice for the same offence is being violated.